Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille - Saint Chaffre

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille is known by hikers as the "Chemin de Stevenson" (GR70) starts here. I hiked that track, following Robert Louis Stevenson´s book "Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes", some years ago.

At that time I had of course visited this church, but now, being here for a whole week, I had the time to find many details here.

Legends tell, that a small community of hermits lived here in the 6th century. A century later the group was led by (Saint) Eudes and after him by Eudes´ nephew (Saint) Theofrede. Theofrede got killed by the locals - and so he became a martyr named Saint Chaffre.

The monastery adopted the Benedictine rule in 817 and found support from Louis the Pious. In the following two centuries three churches were erected here. All collapsed due to the unstable ground. The current, former abbey church was built from 1074 on.

The monastery (and the relics of Saint Chaffre) were just a day´s walk from Le Puy, where the Via Podiensis started and many pilgrims gathered. It may well be, that the wealthiness of the abbey, was related to the pilgrim-business.

The former abbey church has a polychrome facade with a unique frieze - under the roof.